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-RBA *Minnesota *Minnesota Statewide *July 11, 1996 *MNST9607.11 -Birds mentioned
Hotline: Minnesota Statewide/Twin Cities
Date: July 11, 1996
Sponsor: Minnesota Ornithologists' Union (MOU)
Reports: (612) 780-8890
Compiler: Anthony Hertzel
Transcriber: Anthony Hertzel (tony@mill2.MillComm.COM)
Re-transcriber: David Cahlander (dac@skypoint.com)
This is the Minnesota birding report for Thursday July 11th sponsored by the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union.
The best bird of the week is certainly the adult, breeding plumaged PACIFIC LOON seen for the past week on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. First discovered on July 2nd by Chuck Mayer, the bird can most often be seen near the south end of the lake.
On July 6, Lane Elwanger found four CATTLE EGRETS on highway 25, two and a half miles north of the town of Correll in Big Stone County. And across from the Beardsley sewage ponds, the following shorebirds were noted: GREATER and LESSER YELLOWLEGS, LEAST, SEMIPALMATED, SOLITARY, PECTORAL, STILT and BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and WILSON'S PHALAROPE. Three WILLETS were also seen, these along highway 35, one half mile south of Lake Leo. Similar shorebirds plus BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were seen at the New Germany mudflats area along Carver county road 30 on July 7th.
On July 6th Peder Svingen found an immature ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK at Nereson Township in Roseau County. ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK is a very rare summer visitor to Minnesota, and I know of only one other July record for this species.
A pair of WINTER WRENS was found with recently fledged young at Flandrau State Park in Brown County. The birds were discovered by Jack Springer on June 22nd. They were located on south side of the Cottonwood River opposite the small pond found in the park. WINTER WRENS typically nest in the northern parts of the state, and this is quite probably a first nesting record for Brown County.
Tom Tustison discovered a pair of NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS near the West Bank of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The birds are nesting near the parking lot of the Whiskey Junction at 901 Cedar Ave, just south of Interstate 94. Look near the brush piles at the west end of the lot, but because they are rearing newly fledged young, please use common sense when looking for these birds. This is only the third nesting record for NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD in the state.
Also of note was the adult PALM WARBLER found on July 6 by Connie Osbeck in Lake Elmo Washington County.
The next scheduled update of this tape is Thursday July 18th. If you have birds to report, please leave your name, location, phone number and a brief but specific message.